One Last Time
by heyheyanimegurl
Summary: Hamuko visits Shinjiro on his bedside and she thinks about what will happen to her. She talks to Shinji, and the story fast-forwards to graduation day. There, she meets with everyone one last time...


Okay, here's my second fanfic. :3 So far, so good? ^_^;; Anyways, enjoy this fic cuz I enjoyed it, hehehe.  
**WARNING: SPOILERS**(kinda)

Well, please R&R? I'll very much appreciate it if you do. X3 Thanks a lot!

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"Hey, mornin', Shinji-kun," Hamuko squeaked, creaking open Shinjiro's hospital door.

There were flowers and gifts aligning Shinjiro's bed, accompanied by the series of IVs that were connected to Shinjiro. Many of the gifts and flowers were from Hamuko herself. She has been visiting Shinjiro a lot lately, leaving gifts whenever she would come for a quick visit. But this time, she wasn't here to leave a gift. Instead, she came to talk to Shinjiro. She just wanted to talk. She didn't know why, but she felt like she had to. There was a voice inside of her that told her she needed to talk to Shinjiro about some current events… about the meeting on the rooftop….

Hamuko shoved the thoughts off and thought about what Shinjiro would've said to her if he was awake.

"Skippin' classes?" he would say in his usual tone of voice, laughing a bit afterwards. "I didn't know that the leader would skip classes like this. I thought you'd be up to date with things."

"Yeah, yeah, lecture me while you can," Hamuko giggled quietly, moving some gifts out of the way in order to get to Shinjiro's bed. She sat down on Shinjiro's bed and said, "I'm not feeling too good myself, so I decided not to go. I'll just tell Mitsuru-senpai that I was feeling noxious."

Although she was trying to hide it, Hamuko felt herself to be on the verge of crying.

_[No, no. Not now. Don't think about it, don't think about it. Please. I don't want to think about it anymore. Not now. Not this early. Not while I'm with Shinjiro. I won't let him see me cry anymore. I can't. I just can't.]_

Suddenly, tears began to stream down Hamuko's face. One by one, they fell down her cheeks as she tried to hold them back but couldn't. She didn't want to let her sorrow out that easily. She was always able to hide her feelings, but why not now? How come she couldn't hold her tears in?

"W-why am I crying?" Hamuko laughed, uselessly wiping up her tears. "I'm… almost a senior, ya'know Shinji? After this… we can start a life together. We'll open up a café and…. Haha, I have so many things I want to do after high school ends. We can travel out of Japan, explore the world and finally try to master dishes together. Ehehe, it'll be fun being with you, Shinjiro. As long as I'm with you…."

Hamuko laughed again, leaning over to plant a kiss on Shinjiro's cheek and leaving tears behind. Again, as she tried to hide her tears, she found that even more tears came from her eyes. Maybe she _wanted _Shinjiro to see her cry. Maybe it _comforted_ her. Maybe it gave her a feeling that told her she was still alive, even if it was just this moment. Just this time that they are spending together….

Again, she shoved these thoughts off and focused on how long Shinjiro's hair was.

"Your hair is so long now, Shinji-kun," said Hamuko as she picked up strands of his hair and examined them. "When you wake up, I'll cut it for you…. Whadd'ya say?"

_[When he wakes up…. How long will that be? Will it be before I die? When…? I hope he wakes up soon. Heck, I wish that he would wake up now….]_

More tears dropped onto Shinjiro's face as Hamuko was uselessly trying to forget what was going to happen to her after graduation.

_[I'm going to die, and Shinji-kun's not even going to be able to see me one last time…. Please… please…. I want to see him awake one last time. I want to hear his lectures and see his contagious smile…. Please…. I want him to tell me that he loves me one last time…. Just once again…. One last time….]_

Eventually, Hamuko stood up and wiped her tears, but before she left, she stood over Shinjiro's bed and said, "Senpai…. We're all going to meet again, okay? Graduation day, on the rooftop of Gekkoukan High. Everyone is going to be there. So… don't be late, okay? Show up. Promise that to me. I want to see you…. Goodbye… and I love you."

Hamuko placed another kiss on Shinjiro's cheek and left without another word.

~3/5/10 Graduation Day~

Gekkoukan Rooftop

"Hey… Aigis?"

Cool air flew around Hamuko and Aigis, making the air seem a lot chillier. But the weather, even with this cold air, was perfect. Sakura blossoms flew around the two, making the scene of the Gekkoukan High rooftop more breathtaking than usual.

Hamuko and Aigis sat back to back on a bench. Hamuko picked out a flower and placed it on Aigis's hair. In response, Aigis tilted her head towards Hamuko.

"Yes, Hamuko-san?" replied Aigis in a cheerful tone.

"You think that everyone's gonna make it on time?" asked Hamuko.

"Yes, I believe so. Why would you ask such a question, Hamuko-san?"

"Ahh, no reason. It's just… I want to see them together again. All smiling happily, ready for anything… like we were back then. Even if it's just this once. One last time…."

Hamuko turned to the city of Iwatodai.

_[This is it. The city that I protected along with everyone else. The city that gave up on humanity…. This is where it all happened, and this is where it all ended. The city that I had loved so much. The city that I was born in. The city that I left for 10 years. Now everything will end here. Right at this spot. Everything…. So why am I so sad? Why is there such a sense of sorrow? Everything is going to end. No one will ever have to fight ever again. So why? I should be happy.]_

Despite her thoughts, Hamuko smiled nostalgically, and just before lethargy wiped over her, a loud **SLAM **was emitted from the strong force that would've broken the door if it was wooden. What could've made that loud sound? Hamuko turned and saw….

"Shinjiro!" Hamuko cried happily, sitting up and suddenly feeling a small jump of the energy she used to have running through her. Aigis stood up and gave the couple the privacy they needed.

Shinjiro was gasping for air and smiled that contagious smile of his. He ran up to Hamuko and embraced her. Hamuko smiled onto Shinjiro's shoulder.

"Geez," Shinjiro started, "don't make a sick guy push himself too hard."

_[The lecture….]_

Shinjiro brushed his lips against Hamuko's forehead, making her smile even wider. The feeling of Shinjiro's lips on her forehead made her feel… full again. It gave her the sense that everything was going to be alright, even when deep inside her mind, she knows that it's not. She just loved the idea. She wanted to stay forever like this. She wanted to spend her entire life like this. Just in Shinjiro's arms, just that feeling….

"The girl I saw in my dreams," Shinjiro continued, "it was you, laughing and crying like usual. For a time, I didn't remember who you were. I'm so stupid, aren't I? To think that I didn't remember who you were, the girl that I spent so much time with…. The girl that stole my heart... I always told you to smile, didn't I? In my dream… I heard you. You were telling me about how you were getting a lot more sick than usual, crying and telling me how you were going to become a senior soon, and how after you graduate, we were going to start a life together."

Shinjiro laughed softly and kissed Hamuko's usually warm cheek.

"You're… cold," he noted. "Are you feeling alright?"

"It's alright, Shinji-kun," Hamuko assured. "Being here with you is warm enough."

Just then, everybody reached the rooftop. Everyone smiled and waved, laughing at the two. Everyone…. Minato, Yukari, Junpei, Fuuka, Mitsuru, Akihiko, Aigis, and Ken. Hamuko smiled happily. She had even giggled when Yukari waved and winked at her.

Hamuko turned to Shinjiro and caught him on the lips.

"I love you," she whispered.

Shinjiro grinned, "I love you too."

Hamuko turned to SEES again, looking at their smiling faces. They looked ready for anything, like they were before. Their faces were full of determination. This once. Just this once…. One last time…. Hamuko was glad that she got to share this moment with everyone. She was glad, and she didn't care about anything else. Finally, lethargy ultimately wiped over her. Her eyes began to close, and, not wanting anyone to see the pain and tears her eyes spoke of, she nuzzled her head onto the crook of Shinjiro's neck and closed her eyes.

_[I hope they can accept my fate and live life to the fullest.]  
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YAY! :D Although I felt bad that I didn't include Koro-chan in this fanfic. ^_^;; Please don't be mad with me. D: Well, I kinda couldn't... Well, I could've, but it wouldn't have made sense. I mean, bringing a dog onto school grounds? Like that would happen...? But thanks for reading! Please R&R! X3


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